Closer
by CTippy
Summary: Brienne comes back from work and finds a surprise waiting for her in the kitchen. Hidden feelings, UST, misunderstandings... and some other stuff ensue.


This is my second JB fic and my very first AU. I never thought I would write an AU some day, especially one involving Jaime and Brienne. Not to mention, I hate Valentine's Day! But I came up with this idea and started writing, and before I knew it this one-shot had come out of my mind. Right now it feels like some sort of foreign, alien thing to me. I like some things, others not so much... I have started overthinking things, as I usually do, so I've been having doubts about publishing it. But I have spent so much time on it, and I have had the most supportive and helpful of betas to give me a hand through it all and I just can't take all that time and toss it. So I am posting it anyway, and hopefully you will find it a nice read. :) It's JB after all, it can't be all that bad, right?

And of course is way longer than 500 words. Sorry. XD

I want to thank Lou for being an awesome beta. For making me see what works and what doesn't, for letting me see her enthusiasm and for supporting me. I am very glad we "met". So this is a gift to you from me. 3

Thanks to all the gang at JBO for making my days brighter and funnier and more interesting. :)

All the mistakes you will find despite the labor limae and editing are all my own. Also, I apologise for any OOCness. Writing an AU gives you more freedom with the characters, but it also blurs the lines more and you have to be careful not to get too carried away. I hope they will appear as acceptable Modern-AU versions of their original counterparts.

Warning: in this story there is a sort of flashback with an episode of sexual harassment, hence my tag stating Hyle is in a flashback, being a scum and a huge piece of sh*t. I tried to write it so that it would make you understand Brienne's and Jaime's state of mind right after it happens, hopefully without upsetting anyone.

P.S.: I know, the title sucks. I am so bad at titles.

* * *

"What are you doing?" Brienne asked as she crossed the threshold, the smell of food reaching her nose from the kitchen.

"Hey, look who's back after a day of hard work!" Jaime replied, spotting her right behind his shoulder. "Please, make yourself at home."

Brienne grimaced, "This _is_ my home. And did you even hear what I've said?"

"I am preparing dinner, My Lady." He explained, opening the fridge door.

"Uhm, no you're not. And stop calling me _My Lady_."

"How should I call you, then?" Jaime replied cheerfully. He seemed to be in a good mood. "You won't even let me call you Wen-"

"DON'T."

"... Wench." He finished, his head coming into view only to show her his infamous mischievous grin. She rolled her eyes. Why did she even bother?

"Could I be informed as to why you are cooking in my kitchen, instead of your own? How did you even know where I put my spare keys?"

"Easy. You either put them under the doormat, or in that terrible pot you have outside your door." The man shrugged as he took a bottle of wine, then moved towards the drawer in order to get the corkscrew.

"H- How... Did you spy on me?" She exclaimed.

"I'm just a good observer."

Brienne was about to retort, but then just decided she was too tired to argue with him. She put her bag on the coffee table in her living room and slumped on the couch. "Anyway, you are avoiding my question. Do you care to elaborate?"

He didn't answer, busy trying to open the bottle. His right hand would not keep it steady enough as he used his left to work the bottle opener. Brienne got up at noticing his frustration. When he saw her come by his side, Jaime flashed her a bashful smile of gratitude and got back to the stove.

She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but there was something strange about him.

"So, are you going to answer?" She pressed.

Jaime stopped stirring whatever was cooking in the pan. "I... I just felt like doing something nice for my friend and neighbour. Is that so weird?"

"Yes, it is. First of all, you are a _terrible_ cook."

"I have been practising, actually."

She blinked at him in utter astonishment. "Okay, let me get this straight: you have been practising. Specifically for tonight's dinner."

"Yes."

"A dinner in my flat, of which I did not know anything, because you apparently didn't deem it necessary to inform me." He just nodded. "Why can't you see that it makes things even weirder?"

"I have my reasons," was his vague reply. "Would My Lady be so kind and generous as to get two glasses out of the cupboard?"

She rolled her eyes at that. "Seriously, why are you here? It's Valentine's Day, shouldn't you be out with one of your...", her voice trailed off.

Jaime's hand suddenly let go of the ladle. Brienne felt him stiffen a little, as a weird silence settled in between them. Then he cleared his throat, and turned to look at her questioningly. "My what?"

"You know..." Brienne's gaze darted towards him, but she looked away the moment she realised his eyes were on her. She moved to the kitchen counter and started filling the glasses.

"I haven't seen anyone in months." Jaime looked over his shoulder when he didn't receive an answer and saw her ears and neck go red. She was blushing. He quickly turned his head.

"I- I... noticed." She finally said, trying to regain her composure.

Of course she had noticed. She had been harbouring feelings for him for months. Months spent desperately trying to talk herself out of them, arguing how he was out of her league, that she could not risk losing their friendship for something that was never going to happen. She had tried to move on... and miserably failed.

She turned back to Jaime's side, handing him one of the glasses. "I just thought you'd like to spend this day with someone special. Someone you..."

"... love." He finished for her. She suddenly turned to look at him, his fingers brushing hers as he took the glass from her hand. "Yeah." His voice was a whisper, his green eyes staring into her big blue ones... And then he turned his attention back to the food, his blond-haired head shaking slightly, as if trying to free his mind from some umpleasant thought. Brienne was still trying to grasp what had just happened, when he asked, "What about you?"

"Me? Ha. Thanks for asking, but you must know the answer, otherwise you wouldn't have expected me to be home alone today, of all days." She replied before taking a sip of wine from her glass.

Jaime cleared his throat, "Yeah, I... I asked Sansa if you had started dating again after... what happened." He said, and Brienne could sense the tension rise in him at the mere mention.

"No. And you would have known, if you had talked to me aft-" She was saying, without looking at him, but Jaime cut her off.

"Yeah, that's- that's one of the reasons I am here. I should not have yelled at you..."

"No, you shouldn't have." She agreed.

About two weeks prior, Brienne had gone out on her second date with a guy named Hyle.

He had seemed nice enough when they first met, so she had accepted to go out with him. It was mainly in an attempt to take her mind off the man who had become her neighbour and close friend almost three and a half years ago, so her heart wasn't really in it. Besides, there was something about Hyle that made her feel uncomfortable for some reason. He smiled all the time, and the way his eyes would study her felt... intrusive. She didn't want to be the kind of person who judged others based on first impressions – knowing too well how wrong they could be. So when the young man had proposed a second date, she had accepted, ignoring the voice at the back of her mind that kept telling her not to. The evening only confirmed her previous concerns, but when he offered to see her home, she foolishly let him. He followed her up to her door, and when she politely tried to let him down, he forced a kiss on her. Brienne pushed the man away, telling him to leave, but he would not listen, stating how disappointing it was that she would not let him in and have some _fun_. When she finally managed to open the door to her flat and tried to quickly close it in his face, he blocked it with his foot, trying to get in. He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her close to him, warning her not to be a bitch and seize the moment while she could. By the time Jaime realised what was happening and came out of his flat to rescue her, she had already managed to kick the asshole in the groin. Hyle ran away before the older man could get his hands on him, cursing heavily on his way down the stairs.

"Are you all right? Did he hurt you?" Jaime asked several times in a frantic voice, before helping her into her home. She didn't even remember seeing him before that moment.

"I-I am okay, really." She kept repeating, more to herself than to the man whose hand – Brienne suddenly realised - she had unconsciously grabbed and now held tight, as if her life depended on it. Her reaction to what had just happened was the thing that surprised and upset her the most. She had dealt with men trying to invade her personal space before, douchebags who wanted to prove a point or win a bet with their likewise douchebag friends. Hells, she was used to knocking men like them into the dust since she was a kid. With time, she had learned not to feel hurt by their actions and words, so why did she feel like she was about to crumble and fall at any moment?

Jaime made her sit on the sofa before heading to the kitchen. Brienne felt her head heavy, but her vision was not so hazy anymore. She took a deep breath, sparing a quick glance in Jaime's direction. A part of her was deeply grateful for his presence, but the other was almost hurt by it, and she didn't know why, which made her feel so stupid... Her hand went over her eyes. She didn't want to feel like this.

The moment Jaime got back to her with a glass of water, she looked up at him, only to find an expression in his eyes she had never seen before, his lips pressed together and his jaw clenching, as he tried to repress the warring emotions hiding just beneath the surface. Her stomach tightened then, eyes suddenly full with tears.

She hated herself for having let that guy get so close to her, for not having trusted her guts, for not being strong enough to control her emotions, for not being strong enough to deal with the situation by herself. And for lettingJaime see her this way. For letting him be so agitated because of it.

Seeing her like that caused Jaime's seething rage to blaze. "I knew that guy was bad news the moment you told me about him." He growled, his knuckles going white as he tightened his hold around the glass still in his left hand.

Brienne had spoken about her first date with that man. Thinking about it had made him nervous for some reason, impatiently awaiting and at the same time dreading the moment of her report to him. At first he had found himself strangely relieved that her night out had not gone well, which had also made him feel guilty and slightly weird. But when Brienne had revealed the uneasiness she had felt, any guilt had disappeared, replaced by further relief and a hint of anger toward that guy. So Jaime had worried when she had accepted to go out with Hyle again. He knew Brienne could very well take care of herself, but couldn't help fretting about her. He had a bad feeling about her date, and the thought of that man getting close to Brienne had been driving him crazy the whole evening.

When he heard muffled sounds coming from outside his door, he was sure to have heard her voice. He debated with himself whether watching through the peephole constituted a violation of privacy or not, but when the voices got louder, he just sent all scruples to the Seven Hells and went to check what was going on.

When Jaime opened the door to his flat, his right hand was already aching madly from having clenched it more than it could bear. He hardly felt the pain though, his rage rearing up, making that scum live the worst five minutes of his worthless existence the only thought occupying his mind. He had felt something was wrong, he should've known that guy was not even worthy of tying her shoes, but he had let her go without saying a word. _It's none of your business_ , a voice inside him had warned, _Brienne's strong, she doesn't need saving. She saves others._

She had saved his hand – damn, she had saved him whole almost a year ago after the accident, helping him get through the most difficult period of his life. Jaime had felt useless and helpless and wanted to give up. Her features had hardened at his words, anger and determination in her eyes as she called him a coward. Just one word to make him realise he couldn't throw his life away. He couldn't let her down. Brienne had been his strength, and he hadn't been able to be hers. Because despite outer appearances and her undeniable fortitude, she was also the softest, kindest and most fragile person he knew. And he should've known better.

Seeing her like he never had before, looking so small and helpless, made all his emotions come bursting out. "Why did you accept to go on a second date with that scum?! How could you be so clueless?" Jaime found himself yelling at her, and instantly regretted it the moment he saw the hurt in her eyes, the way she turned her face away from him, blinking back the tears. He had been frustrated and mad at himself, but all he ended up doing was taking it out on her. He had made her feel worse and now she wouldn't even look at him. All he wanted to do was comfort her, but didn't really know how.

He slowly sat down on the coffee table in front of her. "Brienne," his voice was soft this time, "Brienne..." He called her again, then paused. "You are such a remarkable young woman. You are smart, hard-working, and so much more level-headed than I ever was back when I was your age." The smallest of smiles slightly pulled at one corner of his mouth. "You are also excruciatingly stubborn, and possess the most astonishing pair of eyes I have ever had the chance to behold. You can do so much better than that piece of garbage. Hells, you deserve the best."

He put a tentative hand on hers. All those words had come out of his mouth and he knew they were the truth he felt in his heart, and Brienne finally turned to face him, making his heart almost skip a beat. Her eyes were blue and beautiful and impossibly big as they stared right at him, her inner turmoil seeping through. Her freckles seemed to draw a path leading him down to her mouth, quick breaths coming out of her slightly parted lips, and suddenly his brain screamed those three freaking words and it felt like the scales had finally fallen from his eyes. Jaime suddenly drew in a sharp breath and looked at her face with wide green eyes, as if actually _seeing_ her for the very first time.

She stared back at him for a moment, confused at his sudden change of countenance, and then blinked her eyes away. She freed her hand from his, the silence that had settled in suddenly uncomfortable. He stood there for a few seconds, looking down at his now empty hand, then put the glass beside him onto the coffee table. "I will check up on you tomorrow," he said in a whisper, before getting to his feet and heading to the door, closing it softly behind him.

Brienne suddenly found herself under an avalanche of feelings, not quite able to identify them, nor having the faintest idea of how to deal with them. She had cried herself to sleep that night, dreaming of Jaime's warm and comforting arms tightly wrapped around her.

He had knocked at her door the next day, and she had been grateful for his thoughtfulness, but things had become awkward between them. Brienne felt still overwhelmed by what had happened, and his presence at that moment only reminded her of what she longed for, but could never have.

On the following day, he let her know he had to go out of town for a few days on business. They hadn't talked much ever since.

And now he was back in her flat, trying to go back to how things were. A sigh escaped her lips.

"We were both upset, and I know you were only trying to be a good friend." She said, smiling at him, "I want you to know that I am glad you were there for me."

"Yeah, me too." He replied, returning her smile.

"I thought you said you were terrible at comforting people, Lannister." Brienne teased him.

An annoyed look showed up on his face at her words, "Jaime. _My name_ is _Jaime_."

"Only when you'll learn to call _me_ by _my name_." She replied, trying to hide a grin.

Jaime gave her his best pout, "Come on, don't you find it endearing when I call you Wench?"

"Definitely not."

"Not even a little bit?"

"Nope."

"I do."

"Don't care."

"Can I at least call you _My Lady_?"

"You really don't give up, do you?"

They were slowly falling back into their old rhythms, she noticed. Good.

"Not even once a year?" The man insisted.

She shook her head in amusement. "You are such a weird man."

"I know." He answered, a smug grin on his infuriatingly handsome face.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Okay. Only _once_ a year."

His eyes gleamed with victory, "I will treasure it for a special occasion." He added, and she could almost swear to have seen a mischievous grin flash over his features.

"So, uhm... What are we eating tonight?" Brienne asked as she got closer to him, shoulders brushing, their heads just inches apart, as she peeked into the pan.

Jaime became suddenly very aware of her close proximity, and he stiffened a little.

He had been thinking about his feelings and what he wanted to do with them since that night of two weeks ago.

He had hardly slept, and seeing her the next day had just made him realise how blind he had been. They had spent a lot of time together as of late, he had come to consider their dinner and movie nights together the highlights of his week. He hadn't dated anyone in months, and really didn't feel the need to. And then there had been this dream involving her and those long legs of hers, but who doesn't dream about doing things to their friend with the big blue eyes and impossible long legs every once in a while? And of course the moment he had heard about that Hyle guy, he had instantly become jealous. Eventually it had all been dismissed as him being protective of his neighbour: they were close friends after all, and she was younger than him; he really just cared about her and wanted to see her happy, that was all. But that was _not_ all. Jaime had finally realised the extent of his feelings for Brienne, and didn't know what to do about it. He had no idea what it meant for him, for them. If there was even going to ever be a _them_. When work gave him the perfect opportunity to spend some time away from her and ponder over his feelings, he gladly took it.

In the end, the fear of fucking it all up and losing her friendship made him decide not to act on his feelings. He had come back thinking of surprising her with dinner. A little bit of teasing, a couple of jokes, and everything would get back to normal.

But from the moment she had come through that door, he had felt tense and incredibly self-conscious. Not to mention, he had totally forgotten it was Valentine's Day – seriously Jaime, _perfect_ timing! - and now his stomach was all knots and he couldn't stop staring at her... And then he realised she was asking him something. Jaime turned his head abruptly and found his face so close to hers, their noses were almost touching.

Brienne froze, her breath caught in her throat. She could feel her heart thumping in her ears. Her eyes drifted down the line of his nose, on his light stubble, eventually settling on his lips.

"Brienne..." He whispered, his breath tickling her skin. He let go of the ladle in his hand, and she thought her heart was going to beat its way out of her chest when she realised he was closing the distance between their mouths.

His lips met hers, his hand resting on her hip as he pulled her closer. Brienne tensed up, flustered and confused by the sudden development. Her hand was on his chest, his heart beating fast and strong under her palm. Her head was dizzy and her stomach in a flutter as his head tilted slightly to deepen the kiss. She opened her mouth then, her tongue meeting his for the briefest of moments...

... and then all of a sudden his lips were gone, his body no longer against hers, leaving Brienne with the lingering feeling of his heat.

"I'm sorry."

Her eyes snapped open and she saw Jaime take a step back, his eyes on the ground, his head slightly shaking. "I didn't want to-"

"Oh." Was all she managed to say, growing even more confused. Jaime Lannister, the most gorgeous - and also rich and annoyingly smart and cunning – man she had ever met _kissed_ her. _He_ kissed _her_ , and was now apologising. Her brain was struggling to understand what had just happened and why it had come to this in a matter of mere seconds.

"I shouldn't have let my feelings get the better of me." He uttered, a hand running through his golden hair.

She was blinking at him now, totally dumbfounded. Did she hear what she believed she had just heard?

"I had promised myself I would be contented with just being friends, but honestly, I..." He sighed, then looked at her. "I've been with you for... I don't know how long, and it's already driving me crazy."

The pounding of her heart was so loud in her ears, for a second she thought she had misheard.

" _You_ are driving me crazy."

The man was staring at her inquiringly, looking for a reaction, something that would tell him he was not potentially ruining their frienship for nothing.

"I... Wh-What?" She exclaimed, her eyes widening as his words finally sank in.

"I wanted us to still be friends, but I don't think I can do it."

"Oh."

"I want more."

"Oh?"

"This has apparently come as a shock to you. Believe me, I know how you feel. It came as a shock to me as well. But I have never been so sure of anything in my life! It felt like I had been blind up until that night an-"

Brienne cut him off. "You mean two weeks ago?"

"Yes."

"Oh."

"Will you stop saying 'oh' and tell me how you feel?"

"Ho-How I feel...?"

Was this really happening? The man standing in front of her had kissed her because he had feelings for her so deep he couldn't control them, and was now hoping to hear her say what she had denied herself for months because she believed it could never happen?

"Because if you don't feel the same, I just want you to know tha-"

"I feel the same." The words came out of her mouth almost without thinking.

"Oh."

"I... I do." She confirmed, giddy with love, and happiness, and the way he was looking at her just now. "I have. For months."

"Oh?"

"Now who's the one saying 'oh' all the time?"

"Touché."

Jaime smiled, his eyes gleaming with happiness. She shyly smiled back, her cheeks colouring. He stepped towards her and took her hand in his.

She looked down at their intertwined fingers. "A-are you sure?"

He nodded, delighted to see her blush so furiously now. "I am. Are you?" He teased her.

Her eyes settled on his face again. "You did hear the part where I just told you I've had feelings for you for the last few months, didn't you?"

Jaime couldn't help the heartfelt laugh that escaped his mouth. Brienne stared at him, taking in his perfect white teeth, the way his head was leaning back in amusement ever so slightly, the lively expression in his beautiful green eyes. And then his gaze was on her again, the ghost of a smile still lingering on his lips.

"Brienne."

"Yes?"

He remained silent for a beat, his magnetic green eyes dark and longing. "I'm going to kiss you now."

The words came out of his mouth as a statement, his voice low and deep, but he searched her eyes for a moment, silently asking for permission.

Brienne nodded slightly, her face feeling impossibly hot as he cupped her cheek with his left hand, his thumb gently stroking her skin.

Jaime's heart had leapt at her consent, her eyes the darkest shade of blue he had ever seen as he started to lean closer, shaky breaths coming out of her parted lips. He felt like he had been waiting for this - for _them,_ to happen all his life. He just hadn't known.

His head tilted slightly, his lips about to brush hers, when an unpleasant smell invading his nostrils stopped him abruptly.

"I think you have just burnt whatever dinner you had planned." Brienne uttered, amusement in her eyes, but also a trace of disappointment for the ruined moment that she failed to hide from him.

He sighed, mentally cursing the _impeccable_ timing, and looked back over his shoulder to ascertain the red mess the sauce had created all over the hob. He took a couple of steps away from her to get to the stove, turning the knob off.

"It must be the first time a guy's attempt at dinner ends up _not_ getting him the girl." Jaime jested, turning his head to look at her, but Brienne just gazed at him in silence for the longest of instants. Her long legs quickly moved towards him then and her lips captured his, her left hand running through his hair. Surprise flashed through his emerald eyes for a moment, before he let himself be overwhelmed by the eagerness with which her mouth demanded his, and wrapped his arms around her, pressing her body against his.

When they finally parted, they were both out of breath, his hands resting on the small of her back, keeping her close.

"That was..." Jaime began, his voice hoarse, "I mean, I did say you drive me crazy, but I actually had _no idea_ , did I?" He said, relishing the view of her freckled cheeks growing red as she bit her lower lip, her eyes dark deep blue oceans, gleaming with feelings he knew were only for him to see.

Jaime smiled one of his wicked smiles and leaned in again, pressing a soft kiss on her lips.

He pulled back ever so slightly, their foreheads nearly touching, the same smile he had shown her just a moment ago making its way on his lips again, as he whispered against her mouth, "Happy Valentine's Day, _My Lady._ "

* * *

Just so you know, in this story it's totally canon that Jaime calls her "My Lady" only on Valentine's Day, but probably way more than once. XD Brienne lets him call her "wench" from time to time throughout the rest of the year. I don't think she's ever cared that much anyway. :P

I was trying to avoid the kissing this time as well 'cause I was afraid to make a mess. But Lou encouraged me - thank you so much again 3. I did make a mess though. LOL I had to work on them a little to find the right balance, but with her help I think I managed to write something nice, at least I hope so!


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